Abstract: In this paper, limb bones of adult skeletons (55 Han, 22 Tang and 39 Song) were observed and measured. These skeletons came from Han, Tang and Song dynasty tombs from the Xuecun site of Xingyang and other Xinzheng sites in Zhengzhou City. Statures have been calculated from the maximum lengths of the humeri, femora and tibiae according to formulae estimated by Chen Shixian and Zhang Jizong. The average statures of males in Han, Tang and Song dynasties are 169.52cm (159.11cm female), 167.03cm (158.39cm female) and 164.49cm (156.17cm female). T-tests were employed for comparisons of average statures between the sexes and dynasties. Differences between sexes were statistically significant in the same dynasty, but none of the differences between dynasties were statistically significant in the same sex. The decline of statures in the three dynasties could be associated with the integration of ethnic Han in the Central Plains and other populations in China. The decline might be caused by the increase in stress of survival and the influence of nutritional status. The lower degree of sexual dimorphism for the Zhengzhou skeletal series might indicate that differences of the quality and quantity of food received by men and women from Zhengzhou were less than the differences between both sexes from other areas during the Han, Tang and Song dynasties. This research shows that there are possible inequalities between the sexes, which was less than other areas.

Key words: Xuecun; Zhengzhou; Han Dynasty; Tang Dynasty; Song Dynasty; Stature; Sexual dimorphism